Safety device



Aug. 11; 1931. M. P. "BURROWS I 3 0 SAFETY DEVICE Filed Dec. 17. 1929 l NVENTOR M/w-mEL R BURROWS 4 :XZIZWN ATTORNEY I Patented Aug. 11, 1931 MICHAEL P. BUBROWS, OF TACOMA, V/ASI'IING'EON SAFETY DEVICE Application filed December 17,1929. Serial No. 414,652.

This invention relates to a safety device for use in saw mills, and has reference in particular to a safety device to be associated with machines of that type commonly known as bolters, such as are used for sawing slabs of wood into narrow strips for the manufacture of laths, broom handles, or the like; such machines comprising a plurality of circular saws in spaced relation on a driving shaft, and which operate on the slabs of wood which are fed thereto by upper and lower sets of feed rolls.

Explanatory to the invention, it will be here stated that wooden slabs of the type used for making laths, or broom handles, etc., are not of the best grade material, and are aften irregular in shape, split and knotted. Splinters or fragments often break from the slab during the sawing and are thrown back toward the operator by the revolving saws. The difliculty heretofore encountered in providing safety devices for this type of machine has been to close the constantly varying opening between the feed rolls on each side of the slab which is being sawed suflioiently close to the saws as to prevent the slivers, or fragments, from being thrown back by the saws in the direction of the operator. Serious injury often results by reason of this lack of protection.

In view of the above, it has been the principal object of this invention to provide a safety means which will in no way interfere with feeding of the slabs to the saws, but will positively protect the operator, or person feedingthe slabs to the saws, against damage by any splinters, slivers, or fragments, which might be driven back by the saws through the opening between the feed rollers at the sides of the slabs.

More specifically stated, the invention resides in the provision of a safety device of this character that is formed by a plurality of pivoted fingers supported in juxtaposition and together forming a shield or ourtain between the saws and the operator; these fingers being movable to permit the passing of the slabs to the saws, but will immediately drop back in place to close any opening through which splinters might be thrown back by the saws, and only those fingers that are actually en aged by a slab being moved and the remaining fingers retain their place to maintain the shielding effect.

Other objects of the invention reside in the details of construction and in the combination of the various parts and in their mode of operation, as will hereinafter be described.

In accomplishing these objects, I have provided the improved details of construction, the preferred forms of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein- Figure l is a perspective view of a bolter equipped with a safety device embodying the present invention.

Figure 2 is a longitudinal section of the machine.

Figure 3 is a cross section taken on the line 8-3 in Figure 2.

Referring more in detail to the drawings Briefly describing the machine to which the invention is here applied, 1 designates a horizontal, driven shaft on which a plurality of circular saws 2 are mounted in spaced apart relation, and 3 designates a horizontal table across which wooden slabs, as designated at 4, may be passed by an operator between lower and upper sets of feed rolls 5 and 6 which advance the slabs against the saws. It is to be understood that the specific arrangement of the feed rollers and the manner in which they are revolubly driven is immaterial to the present invention, except that they should be properly alined with the saws and in proper relation to each other that, when driven, they will deliver the slabs directly against the saws; the saws, in this instance, all being of the same diameter and are revolved in the direction of the arrow placed thereon which is against the direction of travel of the slabs. Heretofore, when splinters, or slivers, broke from the slabs, they were driven back by the revolving saws through the space at opposite sides of the slab between the upper and lower feed rollers, and considerable damage has redelivered from thefeed rolls to the l veights, .t liareatt clied to the ion c sulted to the operators by reason of being struck by these splinters or slivers.

In Figure l, I have" illustrated the slab 4' as having a recess at one side, as at 8, and I have shown, in dotted lines, at 9, the line of the out which the saw will make. It is apparent that when this piece of slab is released by the saw entering the recess, it will be thrown back by the saw, and it is for the purpose of overcoming the element of danger to the operator from such pieces being thrown back, that the present invention has been devised.

The protective device, or safety device, which I have provided, and which is embodied by the present invention consists of a plurality of fingers 10 formed from flat strips of metal, which are pivotally mounted in edge to edge relation on a shaft 11 which extends transversely of the machine frame below the feed rolls. These fingers are independently movable and in their side by side relation form a. closed shield, or curtain, between the saws and the opening between the upper and lower feed rollers. The fingers are disposed in an inclined position, as shown in Figure 2, and their upper ends project across the path of travel of slabs ends of the fingers to yieldinqly retai the upper ends in their protective position. WVhen a slab is advanced across the table and between the feed rollers to the saw, it pushes down only those fingers with, which it engages and the remaining fingers retain their position and thus close the open space between the rolls at the opposite sides of the slab.

In the present instance, the fingers have been shown'to bebent at their upper ends in an irregular form for the purpose of avoiding interference with the feed rolls, and given an angular bend at their lower ends which are weighted in order that the weight will have the desired effect.

Should it be desired to move all of the fingers to a position below the path of the slab, this may be done by rotation of a shaft 14 that is extended across the machine below the lower end portions of the fingers, and which is rotatably mounted in supports 1515. An eccentric crank portion 16 of the shaft supports the fingers, and by rotation of the shaft they are all raised, to thereby cause the upper ends to swing downwardly. A lever 17 is fixed to the shaft to rotate it for this purpose.

The fingers, so arranged, provide a continuous, protective shield between the operator and the saws, and at all times closes the space between the upper and lower feed rolls except that space through which the effectively serve the purpose for which they are intended.

Having'thus described myinvention what I claim as new therein and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. In a bolting machine, or the like, a series of saws in spaced relation on a driven shaft, a feed table, a set of feed rolls between which slabs may be fed from the table to the saws, a cross shaft beneath the table, a series of fingers pivotally and yieldably supported by the cross shaft in side by side relation with their upper end portions extended across the path of the slab between the saws and feed rolls and together forming a protective shield; said fingers being yieldable downwardly for passage of the slabs to the saws.

2. In a bolting machine, or the like, a

series of saws in spaced relation on a driven shaft, a feed table, a set of feed rolls between which slabs may be fed from the table to the saws, a cross siaft beneath the table, a series of fingers pivotally and yieldably su iported by th cross ft in side by side relation with 1, upper end portions extended aei' the path of the slab between thesar-s a rol s and together forming said fingers having n 7 whereby their upper ends are yr .H'. I retained in protective position, and me ns 'ereby the fingers may all be moved from protective position.

3. In a bolting machine, or the like, a series of saws in ced relation on a driven shaft, afeed tab. a set of feed rolls between which slabs may be fed from the table to the saws a cross shaft beneath the table, a series of ting s pivotally and yieldably supported bv t he cross shaft in side by side relation with their upper portions e);- tended across the path of the slab between the saws and feed rolls and together forming a protective shield; said fingers having weighted lower ends whereby their upper ends are yieldably retained in protective position, and a rotatably mounted cross shaft having an eccentric portion engaging with the lower ends of said fingers and means for rotating the shaft to cause all the fingers to be moved on their supporting shaft from the path of the slabs.

Signed at Tacoma, Vashington, this 9th day of December, 1929.

MICHAEL P. BURROVVS.

themselves to slabs of different width and 

